Here's the perfect remedy for all those Marvel fanboys bitching about Edward Norton's dismissal as Bruce Banner/The Hulk from The Avengers (not that we ever cared for Norton's invisible portrayal of the good doctor with a bad temper issue, and we were glad to see the back of him, his ego & his attitude). Deadline say Mark Ruffalo - yes you heard me right - Mark Ruffalo!!! - is very close to securing a deal to play the big green behemoth so lovingly known as 'The Hulk' Stunning, unexpected, perfect. Ruffalo was the guy who out columbo'd Columbo in Zodiac, he out Mitchum' Robert Mitchum in Shutter Island and was the best thing about The Brothers Bloom. He is earning tons of accolades right now for his performance in the indie film The Kids Are All Right and his expected casting certainly mirrors that of Norton, who had a similar Indie/art movies background before Marvel came calling. Ruffalo's been an OWF favourite for a while, and is the kind of calibre actor we didn't think Marvel would be able to attract, quite frankly. During Norton's reign as Banner, we were quite happy for Hulk not to be included in The Avengers - but now we are hoping he plays a huge part in it. How could we not? Expect him to be unveiled at Comic Con, but his casting will probably be confirmed by Marvel or director Joss Whedon before then.